Car-signal



(No Model.) 7 2 Sheets-Sheet l,

D. M. BORNARTH.

GAR SIGNAL.

N0. 305,043. Patented Sept. 16, 1884.

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DAN/EL M. BOR/VARTH,

N. PETERS. PhoKwLillwgrnpher. Washington. D. c.

(No Model.) 2 sheets shet 2.

D.- M. BORNARTH. OAR SIGNAL.

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DANIEL M. BORNARTH, OF SHAKOPEE, MINNESOTA.

CAR-.EilGNAL.v

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 305,043, dated September 16,1884.

Application filed June 16, 1884. (No model.)

A indicates a eaboosesuch as isusually I To all whom it may concern/.-

Beit known that I, DANIEL M. BORNARTH, of Shakopee, in the county of Scott and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic mechanism for indicating at a distance whether a train is in motion or standing still, and whenin motion to indicate the speed,in order that the engineer of a following train may govern his engine accordingly, and that the engineer of each train may readily ascertain the speed of travel.

r The invention is more particularly designed for use at night, but is susceptible also of day use.

Briefly stated, the invention consists in a slide bearing signals of predetermined colors and moved by a governor, which is rotated through suitable connection with a wheel or axis of the car, and by its movements causes one or another signal to be displayed, accord ing to the rate of travel or the stopping of the car, the slide bearing ordinarily'transparent colored sections, which are brought in front of the flame of the signal-lantern.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a car provided with my improved apparatus in a preferred form, the side of the car being broken away to show the arrangement of parts; Fig. 2, a cross-section of a car, showingaslightly-modified arrangement of the mechanism; Figs. 3 and 4, sectional views of the governor mechanism on a somewhat larger scale; Fig. 5, a sectional View of the lantern, showing the slide.

It is at present customary for trains to carry taining the fact until close to such forward train; nor has the engineer of either trainany reasonable means of determining the rate at which the train is moving. The plan which I am about to describe affords a sure means of obtaining at all times the required information.

tern.

attached at the rear of a freighttrain, or it may be aregular car of the train-provided with asignal-lantern, B, preferably abovethe roof of the car. The lantern may be a common bulls-eye lantern, the bullseye or lenses being, however, of colorless glass.

0 indicates a slide carried by a rod, D, which is operated by a governor, E, receiving motion from awheel or axle of the truck.

cases be .placed outside of, the lamp. As shown in Fig. 4, the slide passes upward through the bottom of the lamp, the arms I) passing on opposite sides of the oil-holder o and wick d, and occupying each a position between the flame and the bulls-eye or lens 0. It willbe readily understood thatiftheslide C be moved vertically while the lanternis lighted the squares orsectionsawill be successively brought into line with the flame and lens, and the lantern thus made to show the differ-- ent colors, retaining one or another color just so long as the slide remains at rest with such color in line with the flame and lens or opening through which light escapes from the lan- The order of colors will be such as will indicate successively the different conditions of the train, from absolute rest to highest speed, and there may be any desired number of intermediate graduations between these two extremes. The color indicating rest will be at the top or at thebottom of the slide, according to the direction in which the slide is to be moved by the governor under increase of speed-at the top if said movement is upward, and at the bottom if the movement is downward.

The rod D, which carries slide 0, is preferably connected with the governor, as shown in Fig. 4-.that is to say, the 'rod is carried centrally through the upright revolving body F of the governor, being free to move vertically therein, and is supported at its lower end by pins or studs f, passing though slots 9 in the body F from a collar, h, connected with the balls i of the governor by links j, the balls being suspended by arm 7 from the upper end of revolving body F. This revolving body F is formed with a shank or stem, Z, which turns in a standard, G. secured to the floor or wall of the caboose or car, said stem continuing downward and through the floor, beneath which it is furnished with a wornrwheel, H, which, being i'ast upon the shank or stem Z, causes the latter, and hence the bodyF, to retate, and to carry with it the arm is and balls i, which latter, being thrown out by eentrifugal force, rise, as is wellunderstood. In thus rising the balls carry with them the linksj and collar h, which in turn raises the rod D and slides G.

The size of the worm-wheel and worm or screw, the weight of the governor-balls, the length of the links, and other matters of proportion will be so arranged relatively as to insure a given rise or movement of the slide for a given increase of speed, the different see tlons abeing spaced with reference to the movement of the slide, so that the change from one to the next shall be made whenever a given change of speed occurs. When the car comes to rest, the arms and balls fall to a vertical, or substantially vertical, position, carrying down the rod and slide until the proper signal'is displayed, to indicate the fact that the car is not in motion.

It is obvious that, instead of employing the gearing here shown and described, the governorliiay be driven by belt, or by ordinary toothed gearing, or by frictio'ngear receiving motion from the tread of the car-wheel.

It will likewise be seen that the precise form of the governor is immaterial, and that it may be modified considerably without departing from the spirit of my inventionas, for instance, by providing the lower end of rod D with a cross-pin, in, having its ends extended into a groove or into sockets in the collar h, in which case, as the body F rotates and the pin passes through slots therein, it will be necessary to provide the rod D with a swivel,

n, to prevent the slide 0 from rotating with the rod.

The apparatus, as above described, is well adapted where the whole can be conveniently arranged at the middle of the caboose or car, but it is often desirable to locate the mechan ism at one end of the middle, or in a corner out of the way, though retaining a central position for the lantern. hen such is the case, I employ, essentially, the same mechanism, but transmit motion from the worm-wheel I to the governor through shafts o and p and bevelpinions g, r, s, and t, or any well-known equivalent thereof, the rod D being in such case carried by one end of a horizontal lever, K, the opposite end of which is acted upon by the governor.

It will be readily seen that, instead of the precise arrangement of parts thus described and shown, various equivalent arrangements will speedily suggest themselves to the skilled mechanic, the invention being not confined to details, but consisting, broadly, in interposing between the lantern and the runninggear a governor, which, actuated by the runninggear, serves to place in front of the flame of the lantern a transparent body colored to give a predetermined signal, or, in case a lantern is not used, to display a signal without the aid of a light, the lantern-box or other suitable case serving to hide all but the desired signal. The sections a of slide 0 will be either of one or two colors, according to the signals in use or desired'to be used upon any particular road.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In combination with a car, caboose, or other vehicle, a governor receiving motion from the running-gear thereof, varied and controlled by the speed of the vehicle, a lantern or light-giving body, and a slide actuated by the governor bearing difierentcolored transparent sections, and arranged to move in front of the light, substantially as described, and for the purpose explained.

2. In combination with a car or other vehicle, a governor connected with and driven by the running-gear thereof, and varied and controlled by the speed of the vehicle, and a signal connected with and carried into or out of sight by the governor, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with a vehicle having a lantern, slide 0, having transparent colored sections a, governor E, provided with wornr wheel II, rod D, connected with the governor, and worm I, secured to the axle J, and meshing with wheel H, all substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, substantially as de scribed and shown, of a vehicle provided with a lantern, B, slide 0, having arms I) I), provided with transparent sections a, rod D, carrying said slide, governor E, connected with and serving to move rod D, wheel II, and worm I, secured to the axle J.

DANIEL M. BORNARTH,

lVitnesses:

AUG. F. L. BORNARTH, CHAS. Boinvlxnrrr. 

